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S110V is a stainless powder steel that combines strong abrasive wear resistance with high corrosion resistance. It suits controlled slicing better than work that repeatedly damages an edge, and is worth considering when both edge life and wet-weather care matter.
What Is CPM S110V?
CPM S110V is a powder metallurgy stainless steel with substantial vanadium and niobium additions. The selected composition here follows its later formulation, which differs from the original development recipe. It is a separate alloy from S90V, rather than simply a higher-numbered version of the same steel.
Performance Ratings
For the science, we turn to Dr. Larrin Thomas of Knife Steel Nerds, who has kindly allowed us to share his ratings here.
| Property | CPM S110V |
|---|---|
| Abrasive edge retention | |
| Toughness | |
| Corrosion resistance |
Heat treatment, hardness and geometry affect actual knives.
Explore CPM S110V’s Tradeoffs
Choose a steel above to highlight its position and see all three exact ratings below. The full map fits your screen.
Stainless
CPM S110V
- Abrasive edge retention
- 8
- Toughness
- 3
- Corrosion resistance
- 9
All 48 rated materials. Numbers group steels at identical coordinates; colors describe stainless classification, not corrosion scores. Neither direction means a universally better knife.
CPM S110V’s ratings are shown above. Enable JavaScript to select another steel, or browse the full ratings table.
S110V Edge Retention Compared with S90V
S110V scores 8 for abrasive edge retention in Dr. Larrin Thomas's ratings, compared with S90V at 9. Both emphasize wear resistance, but S90V has the higher rating for this property. S110V has a higher corrosion-resistance rating, so the more useful question is which balance fits your cutting and environment.
For repeated slicing through abrasive material, wear resistance can help preserve a working edge. The grind still affects how easily the knife cuts, and a higher rating cannot make up for a blade shape that does not suit the job.
Our S90V profile explains that alternative if abrasive edge life matters more to you than S110V’s higher corrosion rating.
The Toughness Tradeoff
Its toughness rating is 3. Resistance to edge damage is a limitation to weigh against its wear and corrosion resistance. Keep the knife focused on cutting and choose an edge angle suited to the material. If your current blade usually chips rather than wears dull, a tougher steel may be the better direction.
Sharpening and Corrosion Resistance
Diamond or cubic boron nitride (CBN) abrasives are useful for S110V's hard carbide structure. Repairing a chip or changing the bevel can require substantial metal removal, so start with an appropriate grit. For ordinary maintenance, a touch-up before the edge becomes badly worn keeps the task smaller.
S110V has a corrosion-resistance rating of 9. That is a useful strength, but clean and dry the knife after exposure to salt or food residue. The hardware may also use materials with different corrosion resistance from the blade.
When Is S110V a Good Choice?
S110V is worth considering when wear resistance and corrosion resistance both matter, and you have suitable sharpening equipment. For occasional light cutting, those strengths may be less important than the handle, grind and carry size. Our knife steel guide puts those tradeoffs side by side.
Composition
Our steel composition guide explains what the elements do and how to read these values.
CPM S110V: Niagara typical composition for the later S110V formulation, selected elements. Niagara Specialty Metals: CPM S110V.
| Element | CPM S110V |
|---|---|
| Carbon (C) | 2.8% |
| Chromium (Cr) | 15.25% |
| Molybdenum (Mo) | 2.25% |
| Vanadium (V) | 9% |
| Niobium (Nb) | 3% |
| Cobalt (Co) | 2.5% |
